The epicentre of the quake, that hit at 3:13 am (local time), was found to be around 95 km northwest of the province's Chitral district at a focal depth of 211 km in the mountainous region of Hindu Kush, along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, reported Xinhua.

The quake created panic among the people who were busy preparing for morning prayers during the ongoing month of Ramadan.

According to local media, the quake was felt in Chitral, Swat, Malakand and Lower Dir areas of the province.

The country's northern region includes Gilgit-Baltistan.

In October 2005, a quake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale had killed over 80,000 people in Pakistan besides leaving millions homeless.